Method and system for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide employing a gas diffusion electrode

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10329676-B2
Application number	US-201514726061-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 29, 2015
Priority date	Jul 26, 2012
Publication date	Jun 25, 2019
Grant date	Jun 25, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure is a method and system for the reduction of carbon dioxide. The method may include receiving hydrogen gas at an anolyte region of an electrochemical cell including an anode, the anode including a gas diffusion electrode, receiving an anolyte feed at an anolyte region of the electrochemical cell, and receiving a catholyte feed including carbon dioxide and an alkali metal bicarbonate at a catholyte region of the electrochemical cell including a cathode. The method may include applying an electrical potential between the anode and cathode sufficient to reduce the carbon dioxide to at least one reduction product.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for reducing carbon dioxide comprising:
receiving a feed of hydrogen gas at an anolyte region of an electrochemical cell including an anode, the anode including a gas diffusion electrode;
and further receiving an anolyte feed, comprising an anolyte solution, at the anolyte region of the electrochemical cell;
receiving a catholyte feed including carbon dioxide and an alkali metal bicarbonate at a catholyte region of the electrochemical cell including a cathode, comprising receiving a feed of carbon dioxide gas at the catholyte region of the electrochemical cell including the cathode, and further comprising receiving a catholyte solution at the catholyte region of the electrochemical cell, the cathode including a gas diffusion electrode, wherein the cathode gas diffusion electrode comprises a catalyst for the reduction of carbon dioxide, deposited on a support, in a three-dimensional structure, the cathode gas diffusion electrode including a hydrophobic binder and/or filler between the structure and a membrane; and
applying an electrical potential between the anode and the cathode of the electrochemical cell sufficient to reduce the carbon dioxide to a reduction product.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anolyte feed to the electrochemical cell includes water and a hydrogen halide.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the hydrogen halide includes at least one of hydrogen bromide or hydrogen chloride.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the reduction product is alkali metal formate.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
converting the alkali metal formate to an alkali metal oxalate via a thermal reaction;
receiving the alkali metal oxalate at a electrochemical acidification electrolyzer; and
converting the alkali metal oxalate to oxalic acid and co-producing alkali metal hydroxide, hydrogen, and a halogen at the electrochemical acidification electrolyzer.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst includes indium, tin, bismuth, lead, silver, gold, zinc, or cadmium.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the anolyte region includes an anode trickle bed solution distributor or percolator, configured to receive an anolyte feed.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the electrochemical cell further comprises a cathode trickle bed solution distributor in the second cell compartment configured to receive catholyte from the catholyte input.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the support comprises a metal or carbon cloth support.

Assignees

• Liquid Light Inc
• Avantium Knowledge Centre Bv

Inventors

• Kaczur Jerry J
• Lakkaraju Prasad
• Teamey Kyle

Classifications

• C25B15/08 Primary

  Supplying or removing reactants or electrolytes; Regeneration of electrolytes · CPC title

• Y02C10/10

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• C25B3/04 Primary

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic

• Y02C10/04

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• C25B9/08

  Chemistry & Metallurgy · mapped topic